Pliable Travel Cribbage Board

ABSTRACT

An improved cribbage scoring device (6) composed of a pliable material (24), which is stored in a wrapped position around a deck of cards (14) and secured with a fastener (7). The pliable material is more lightweight, compactable, and versatile than previous art, allowing for improved ability to transport the device (6) and use during travel. Points are scored using pins (10) placed vertically into a series of dots representing points, which are reproduced on the pliable material. The pins (10) securely affix in the pliable material (24) allowing for play on instable surfaces and in variable environments. The pins (10) can also be woven flush with the pliable material (24), marking the dot representing the highest score achieved by each player in an unfinished game, thus allowing for the storage of the device (6) and continuation of play at a later place and time.

BACKGROUND

The card game cribbage is played in various countries all over the world. It has a long history and large population of dedicated enthusiasts. Cribbage is played with a deck of cards and a game-board which allows players to mark the 121 points required to win. Typically, cribbage boards are made of rigid materials such as wood, glass, or plastic. This rigid material is perforated with a series of small holes into which pegs are inserted to indicate the progress of the game.

These cribbage boards are bulky, heavy, and cumbersome. Some travel boards, such as U.S. Pat. No. 2,384,040 to Miller (1945) have been adapted to fold or are made relatively small in order to facilitate use while traveling. Even so, they do not easily fit into a purse, or pocket in order to be used as desired throughout the day. They are impractical to take into the backcountry where weight and space are at a premium, and take up a great deal of room in luggage and carry-on baggage. This limits the versatility of the game and decreases enthusiasts' ability to play cribbage at any time or in any place. Furthermore, the cards used to play cribbage add more bulk, and may be stored separately and misplaced during travel.

As mentioned above, cribbage boards typically use pegs inserted into small holes in order to count off points during the play of game. Pegs are liable to be knocked out of place if the board is shifted or placed on an unstable surface. This limits the environments wherein the game can be played, making it impractical to play on a bus, busy table-top, or slanted surface. U.S. Pat. No. 3,189,888 to Bradley (1963) overcomes this disadvantage by creating an electronic board having a source of light for each corresponding score point rather than a peg.

This prior art solution creates further complications in that it must be powered by a battery or plugged into an outlet, allowing for a considerable point of failure and creating further difficulty while playing on the road. If the batteries run out, then the game is inoperable and the state of the game may be lost. Additionally, the electronics housed within the device may break if treated roughly during transportation, or short circuit due to water exposure. Finally, the design is made of a rigid material and is too large to be easily transported. Therefore, while it solves the problem of insecure pegs, it creates the potential for new problems and, similar to accompanying prior art, does not pack down to an accommodating size.

The prior art does not provide a solution to saving a paused game when the board needs to be moved from the location of play. Typically the pegs must be returned to the peg storage compartment.

As such, there is an unmet need for an ultra-light and compact cribbage scoring device which is played with markers that do not wobble or knock loose when jarred. Such a device should be easily packable and durable to allow for all manner of transportation. It should fit within a pocket and store easily with a pack of cards.

The forgoing examples of related art and limitation related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive, and they do not imply any limitations on the invention described and claimed herein. Various limitations of the related art will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading and understanding of the specification below and the accompanying drawings.

SUMMARY

An improved cribbage scoring device is constructed of a pliable material, allowing it to be wrapped around a deck of cards for storage. Fasteners are provided in order to secure the pliable material in its stored position. This allows a user to transport the device in a pocket or small bag, requiring little more space than a deck of cards.

Game points are marked off with straight pins pushed vertically into a series of dots, which represent points scored. In the event of an unfinished game, pins can be woven flush with the pliable material marking the highest points scored by each player. The device can then be wrapped into its storage position and the game continued at a later time and place. Still further advantages will become apparent from the description to follow and the accompanying drawings.

DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective side view of an embodiment of cribbage scoring device constructed in accordance with the invention, including an image of a cribbage board scoring system.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a pliable material comprised of sewn layers of canvas, felt, and cordura, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a cribbage scoring device wrapped around a deck of cards to be secured with the hook and loop fastener.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the stitching applied to the pliable material, according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a cribbage scoring device 6. This view displays a canvas layer 13 with a hook and loop fastener 7 at one end. A reproduced image of a cribbage game board 8 covers the majority of the canvas layer 13. The image 8 includes one hundred and twenty dots 9. The dots 9 are used to mark points scored by inserting straight pins 10 or other indicators into successive dots until a finish dot 16 is reached, marking the end of the game.

The image 8 includes three lanes 15 to be used by opposing players. The lanes 15 may be reproduced with different colors, which match the colors of a colored ball 19 on the end of the pins 10. This similarity in color identifies which pins belong to each lane and player, in order to avoid confusion during play.

The image 8 includes starting dots 17 where the pins 10 are stored before points are scored, as well as dots to score the outcome of multiple games or tournament play 18. The canvas layer 13 has a rectangular opening cut into one end in order to expose an internal felt layer 12. This exposed internal felt layer 12 provides a pin 10 storage location to be used when the pins 10 are not in use. The felt 12 provides a more resilient surface, which is less likely to be damaged by long-term pin 10 storage than the canvas layer 13.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a pliable material 24. This embodiment may be made of the canvas layer 13, internal felt layer 12, and cordura layer 11, but other materials may be used which are also suitable for this purpose. These layers may be coupled together via sewing or other coupling mechanism, and may give the pliable material 24 the thickness and durability required to successfully interact with the pins 10 and withstand the wear from travel and use in various environments.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the device 6 wrapped around a deck of cards 14 when the device is in the storage position. The hook and loop fastener 7 is sewn to the canvas layer 13 and the cordura layer 11 of the device 6 and is used to maintain a wrapped storage position. A pin 10 woven through a dot 9, generally flush with the pliable material 24, can be seen in a position used to keep track of the score of an unfinished game.

FIG. 4 is a view of stitching used to couple layers of the device 6 together, outlining the image 8 and a sewn edge surrounding the exposed internal felt layer 23. The use of stitching helps the internal felt layer 12 lie flat.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

The following reference numbers are used in the description of the various embodiments.

6 cribbage scoring device

7 hook and loop fastener

8 reproduced image of cribbage game board

9 one hundred and twenty dots

10 straight pins

11 cordura layer

12 internal felt layer

13 canvas layer

14 cards

15 three differently colored lanes

16 dot for finish

17 starting dots

18 dots to score outcomes of multiple games

19 colored ball on pin

20 point of pin

21 elongated shaft of pin

22 sewn outline of cribbage game board

23 sewn edge surrounding the exposed internal felt layer

24 pliable material

Operation

In operation one plays the game of cribbage in a normal manner, using a cribbage scoring device 6 and a deck of cards 14 that are capable of being stored with the device 6. In this embodiment, the characteristics that differ from the prior art allow the device to be used with greater ease while traveling, transporting the system, and while in variable environments, such as in a car, on an airplane, when hiking, etc. Those characteristics include:

-   -   (1) Pliable material 24 allows the device to be wrapped around         the deck of cards, which can then be secured by a hook and loop         fastener 7. This feature allows one to store and transport the         device 6 in a small bag, compartment, or pocket since it is         little bigger than the deck of cards. Since some of the         embodiments of the device 6 is made of cordura 11, felt 12, and         canvas 13, it may be considerably lighter than the prior art         cribbage boards which are constructed of rigid materials such as         wood, glass, or plastic.     -   (2) Straight pins 10 may be used to score points by pushing them         vertically into the pliable material 24. This is superior to the         prior art, which uses pegs in holes. When used in variable         environments such as a moving bus, slanted surface, or busy         workspace, pins 10 will stay in the pliable material 24, while         pegs will often fall out of the holes.     -   (3) In the event that a game cannot be finished in one sitting,         pins 10 can be inserted into the pliable material 24         horizontally, flush with the fabric, marking the dot         representing the highest or current point scored by each player.         The device 6 can then be wrapped up for transportation and the         game can be continued in another location and time. This is an         improvement on the prior art, which requires the storage of pegs         in a separate compartment in order to accommodate travel.

Thus since the device 6 can be wrapped around a deck of cards 14 and played with pins 10, it is superior to travel cribbage boards found in prior art in both design and operation. It allows for improved versatility in variable circumstances and packs to a conveniently-portable size. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A cribbage scoring device, comprising: a generally pliable material, of a predetermined size and shape, generally configured to allow said scoring device to be wrapped, folded, or rolled; one or more fasteners coupled adjacent opposite ends of said generally pliable material, configured to couple together to maintain a storage position of said pliable material; an image generally of a cribbage board reproduced upon said pliable material with peg holes represented as dots; and a plurality of indicators, to be used to mark said dots on said scoring device in order to indicate progress of gameplay, wherein when the scoring device is in said storage position the scoring device is configured to secure a deck of playing cards, wherein when the scoring device is in said storage position the scoring device is generally more easily transported than a traditional cribbage board.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the pliable material comprises three layers, at least one of a cordura layer, an internal layer of felt, or a canvas layer.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the pliable material comprises leather, waxed canvas, nylon, plastic, rubber, paper, cardboard, batting, neoprene, and/or a variety of different cloths, and/or combinations thereof.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein the pliable material is configured to wrap around a deck of cards and fasten thereto for ease of transportation and packing.
 5. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more fasteners comprises hook and loop-type fasteners sewn into predetermined sections of the said pliable material.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein the fastener comprises attracting magnets, elastic strap, snaps, clips, buttons, zippers, hooks, and/or ties, and/or combinations thereof.
 7. The device of claim 1, wherein the image of a cribbage board comprises a screen-printed image.
 8. The device of claim 1, wherein the image of the cribbage board comprises a plurality of differently colored lanes with 120 dots indicating points, a final dot for the finish, starting dots for the said pins to be placed before the game play begins, and dots provided to keep track of the outcomes of multiple games.
 9. The device of claim 1, wherein the image of a cribbage board comprises embroidery, painting, drawing, dying, and/or embossing, and/or combinations thereof.
 10. The device of claim 8, wherein the plurality of indicators comprise pins, which comprises an elongated straight metal section with a point on one end, and a colored ball generally adjacent the other end.
 11. The device of claim 10, wherein said colored ball matches the color of the said lanes.
 12. The device of claim 10, wherein the colored ball comprises plastic or glass.
 13. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of indicators comprises one of safety pins, thumbtacks, T pins, or magnets.
 14. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of indicators are stored generally in an exposed section of felt coupled to said generally pliable member to generally maintain the integrity of the said layer of canvas.
 15. The device of claim 10, wherein the plurality of indicators are generally used to mark said dots by pushing the point of the said pin into said dot corresponding to the score of the game, thereby creating a generally sturdy connection between said pin and said scoring device in order to allow for play on non-rigid or non-uniform surfaces and in variable environments.
 16. The device of claim 10, wherein the plurality of indicators are used to mark said dots during a partially-finished game by generally weaving said pins flush to said pliable material on said dot indicating the highest or current point scored by each player, thus allowing for transportation in the wrapped position and continuation of play at a later place and time. 